Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 24, 2018
First Reading: 2 Samuel 7.1-17
1After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,2he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."3Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you."4That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying:5"Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?6I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling.7Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'8"Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.9I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.10And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning11and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. "'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you:12When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.14I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.15But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.16Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"17Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
Psalm 89
1I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.2I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.3You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant,4'I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.'" Selah5The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.6For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?7In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.8O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.9You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.10You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.11The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.12You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.13Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.15Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.16They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.17For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.18Indeed, our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.19Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: "I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have exalted a young man from among the people.20I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him.21My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.22No enemy will subject him to tribute; no wicked man will oppress him.23I will crush his foes before him and strike down his adversaries.24My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted.25I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers.26He will call out to me, 'You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.'27I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.28I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail.29I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.30"If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,31if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,32I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;33but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.34I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.35Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness- and I will not lie to David-36that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;37it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky." Selah38But you have rejected, you have spurned, you have been very angry with your anointed one.39You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.40You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins.41All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.42You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.43You have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle.44You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground.45You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame. Selah46How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?47Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all men!48What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave? Selah49O Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?50Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,51the taunts with which your enemies have mocked, O LORD, with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.52Praise be to the LORD forever! Amen and Amen.
Gospel: Mark 4.1-20
1Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge.2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."9Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables12so that, "'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"13Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?14The farmer sows the word.15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two profound moments of divine communication. The first reading from 2 Samuel recounts Nathan’s prophetic message to King David, where God reveals that He will establish David’s house, not through David building a temple, but through a lasting dynasty. This promise underscores God’s sovereign plan and trust in David’s leadership. The Gospel reading from Mark presents Jesus teaching the parable of the sower, illustrating how people receive God’s Word. Jesus explains that the seed’s growth depends on the soil’s condition, symbolizing the varying responses to His message.
The context of these readings reveals significant themes. In 2 Samuel, Nathan’s prophecy occurs after David has secured his kingdom, highlighting God’s faithfulness and the establishment of a covenant. For Mark, Jesus uses the parable to guide His disciples in understanding the spiritual receptivity of their audience, emphasizing the importance of fertile hearts.
These readings connect through the theme of divine initiative and human response. God’s promise to David and the parable of the sower both emphasize trust and receptivity. Just as David trusted God’s plan, we must cultivate hearts that receive God’s Word with openness and faith.
In our daily lives, we are called to be the good soil, nurturing God’s Word and allowing it to bear fruit. This requires us to examine our hearts, ensuring they are fertile ground for spiritual growth. The moral lesson here is the importance of faithfulness and openness to God’s message, allowing it to transform us and produce abundant fruit in our lives.